Towel-dispensing device



Sept. 8, 1925.

A. L. JONES ET AL TOWEL DISPENSING DEVLICE Original Filed Feb. 24, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1925. 1,553,170

A. L. JONES ET AL TOWEL DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 24, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z Q' mmHH mi! 5 ui imiHw Mill Sell It. 8, 1925. 1,553,170

A. L. JONES ET AL TOWEL DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 24, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 7

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A. L. JONES ET AL TOWEL DISPENSING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 24, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 $7 .5. I 1 7 9.. will! nil)! -|m||||"' in]! amen/kn;

\ W MW Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT LESLIE JONES, OF NEW YORK, AND LEOPOLD TBOPP, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO AUTOSTOP TOWEL CABINET (20., INC., 0] NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TOWEL-DISPENSING DEVICE.

Application filed February 24, 1928, Serial 30. 820,897. Renewed July 21, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT LESLIE JoNns and LEOIROLD TnoPP, citizens of the UnitedStates; residing at city and State of New York, and Brooklyn, New York, in the Counties of New York and Kings, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel-Dispensing DBVICBS, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and 1mproved towel dispensing device.

One of the objects of this invention 1s to devise a new and improved towel dispensing device in which it will be very simple to take out the soiled mass of toweling and insert a clean length of toweling. This is very important because this device must be handled by ignorant and unskilled labor. Hence it is important that the operator should be 4 able to simply and quickly insert fresh toweling.

Another object of this invention is to eliminate all projecting parts and to make the device as simple and noiseless as possible.

Other objects of this invention will be set forth in the following description and drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments thereof.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with the control parts shown in the locking position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the control parts in the inoperative or unlocked position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the pawl mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the star or Geneva wheel which forms one part of the device.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 shows a different embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing'the control parts in the locked or operative position.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the de- The upper parts of the said plates are provided with vertical notches or recesses into WhlCll the ends of the take-up roller 6 are adapted to fit so that said roller can freely revolve and move up and down in the said vertical notches or recesses.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6 the upper feed roller R is provided with trunnions 9 which fit into bearings 10 connected to the before mentioned angular plates 4 and 5. The outside of the roller R is provided with a corrugated and elastic rubber cover provided with split teeth.

It will be noted that the top of the roller R is closely adjacent the bottoms of the before mentioned vertical slots which may be designated as slots S.

As clearly shown in Fig. 6. lower roller R is of a construction similar to upper roller R and is provided with trunnions 14 which are mounted in the bearings 17 which are also connected to the before mentioned angular plates 4 and 5.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 3 the trunnions 9 of the upper roller B have a cog wheel 8 connected thereto and this is provided with a series of lateral pins 11 which are preferably made of fibre or are covered :vith fibre so as to insure noiseless -opera- As clearly shown in the before mentioned figures, the trunnions 14 of the lower roller R which are also mounted in suitable bearoted members P and P are pivotally connected to the angular plates 4 and 5 at 15 and 16 respectively and these have the relatively large cross bar 17 and the relatively small cross bar 18 secured thereto by means of the pins 19 and 20. These cylindrical cross bars 17 and 18 are' rigidly connected to the members P and P. The said mem bers P and P which may be designated as pawl carriers have the pawl 22 p votally connected thereto at 21 and they are provided with pins 24 and 34 as shown in Fig. 4.

The action of gravity causes the pawl 22 to normally rest against the lower pm 34 and its turning movement is limited between the pins 24 and 34.

To set the device in operative position a roll of clean toweling T is placed upon the bottom of the cabinet and in the position shown in Fig. 6. The toweling is then led over the small bar 18 around the roller R, around the large bar 17, through the front opening 0 in the bottom of the cabinet, through the rear opening 0 in the bottom of the cabinet and then up from the rear opening around the guide bar B, then around the upper roller R and the end of the toweling can then be connected to the take-up roller 6 by merely turning it around the said roller a few times.

The operation of this embodiment is as follows:

The user pulls downwardly upon the front of the loop, as indicated by the arrow at the left hand side of Fig. 6.

The force of gravity causes the pawl carriers P and P to normally assume the position shown in Fig. 3 for example, in which the pawl 22 is beyond the path of movement of the stop 23 on the star wheel 12.

When, however, a downward pull is exerted, this forces the pawl carriers P and P to revolve inwardly and towards the roller R so that the revolution of the star wheel causes the stop 23 to contact with the pawl 22 and forces it against the upper pin 24 when the parts are locked against further movement.

When the pull on the towel is released the pawl carriers swing outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the force of gravity causes the pawl carrier to then assume the position shown in Fig. 3 and also in Fig. 4 so that it is impossible for the parts to engage until the wheel 12 has revolved for ractically another complete revolution.

hen the pawl carriers P and P are forced inwardly, the bar 18 engages the toweling on the roller R and clamps it against said roller R, so that the toweling cannot slip over the roller R when it is held against movement.

Of course any ordinary gear wheels could be substituted for the cog wheel 8 and the star wheel 12 but the wheels shown in these drawings are preferred because they are cheaper to manufacture.

It is obvious that it is very simple to very quickly thread a fresh length of toweling through the operator. and to remove the take-up roller with the soiled mass of toweling thereon and all the parts are of the simplest and most rigid description.

The take-up roller revolves by its frictional contact with the upper roller R so that it moves from its original position practically at the bottom of the slots S to a position practically at the top of the said slots S. i

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 the pawl carriers 25 are mounted on pins 26 which are below the rods 17 and 18 so that the said pawl carriers are in an unstable equilibrium.

A suitable stop or the like may be provided to prevent the said pawl carriers 25 from moving too far outwardly, but it is preferred to provide a cross bar 29 on the door 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 9 so that the toweling makes a sharp angle inwardly directed with respect to the cross bar 70.

One of the pawl carriers 25 is provided with a pawl 27 pivoted at 28 and the operation of the parts is otherwise the same as before.

A preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions can be made without departing from its spirit.

Thus it is obvious that springs could be employed for moving the pawl carriers to their normal position shown in Fig. 3 in which the parts are inoperative for locking purposes.

We claim:-

1. A towel dispensing device comprising a cabinet adapted to support a mass of clean toweling at a given part thereof, a plurality of rollers located above the said given part of the said cabinet, a pawl mounted on a pawl carrying device pivoted independently of the said rollers, spaced bar-like members located upon the said pawl carrying device, the said bar-like member which is adjacent the lowermost of the said rollers being adapted to have the toweling passed around it and then around the underside ofthe said roller, the other of said bar-like members being adapted to have the toweling passed around it after it has been passed completely around the lowermost of the said rollers, the upper roller being adapted to then have the end of the said toweling passed around it, take-up means adapted to be operated by the revolution of the upper roller and operating means adapted to revolve the said rollers in unison, the said means having a stop adapted to co-operate with said pawl, the said pawl carrying member being adapted to be moved inwardly a when the toweling is pulled until the first mentioned bar-like member holds the towelthe bottom of the said cabinet.

3. In a towel dispensingv device having a cabinet, adapted to su port a mass of clean toweling, the combination of a roller having a pawl carrying device pivotally mounted adjacent thereto, the said pawl carrying device having two spaced ar-like members and also having a pivoted pawl and means for limiting the movement of the said pawl,

the said pawl being so mounted that it normally tends to assume a definite position, the said roller having stopping means connected 7 thereto and adapted to stop the revolution of the said roller when the said stopping means cooperate with the said pawl, the said bar-like member which is nearest the said roller being adapted to have theend of the I said mass of toweling first passed around it and then around the said-roller, the other bar-like member being adapted to then have the said toweling passed around it and then below it, take-up means to which the end of.

- the said toweling is adapted tobe connected,

said take-up means being connected to the Said roller, the said pawl carrying device being-so mounted that its pawl is normally out of theipath of movement of the said stopping means, the said roller being adapted to revolved when the towelin 'below the sad pawl carrylng device is pul ed and 1.

the said pawl carrying device being adapted .our signatures.

to be moved towards the said roller when the said toweling is so pulled, whereby the passed around it so that the said roller is revolved when the said toweling is pulled, a

pawl carrying device mounted on pivot means independent of the said roller and having a bar-likemember around which the said toweling is adapted to be led after it has been passed around the said roller, spaced openings in the bottom of the said cabinet through which the toweling is adapted to be led after it has been passed around the said bar-like member so as to form a loop below the bottom of the said cabinet, takeup means adapted to take up the end of the said toweling and a .pawl carried by the said pawl carrying device and adapted to cooperate with a stop connected to the said roller, the normal position of the said pawl carrying device being such that it is out of' the path of movement of the said stop, the "said pawl carrying device being adapted to be moved towards the said roller when a pull is exerted upon the toweling.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix ALBERT LESLIE-JONES. LEOPOLD TROPP.

given part and adapted to have the toweling 

